Vibrio Treatment

[MarinEcology]

My alligator pipefish appears to have developed vibrio.
The very tip of his tail has gone white. I noticed two days ago and it hasn't gotten any worse since then although his appetite seems to have decreased a little bit which is dangerous considering he's already skinny.

So basically I'm wondering what the recommended procedure is. I bought furan-2 in preparation for the worst.
Should I set up a hospital tank to treat it right away or wait and see if it gets better on its own?
Is it advisable to let the temperature drop down to 70? I read somewhere else that this is beneficial.

Any help is much appreciated!
I've put a lot of special effort into this fish over the 2 months it's been in my care and would be so disappointed if he dies.
And while you're here if you have any insight into why he won't gain weight that would be great too!
I've been feeding a variety frozen foods 2-3 times a day out of a net so there's no competition (amounts to about half a cube a day), but his stomach is still sunken :/

 

[rayjay]

Personally, I don't like to wait as it may end up being too late.
Hospital tank, Furan II and I also use Tri-Sulpha at the same time.
Can you get some live foods and enrich before feeding to the pipe?
I'd drop the temp to 68°F.

 

[MarinEcology]

Yeah, I'm going to start treatment right now. It's stomach is frighteningly concave, yet I've fed it three times today.
It must not be keeping the food down which is very problematic. I hope that's just a side effect of the infection.
Do you recommend just following the box instructions? That is: dose, redose after 24 hours, change 25% of water, dose, redose after 24 hours, end treatment.

I don't really have access to or the resources for live foods.
It used to take small ghost shrimp, but I tried that a couple days ago as a treat and it wouldn't go for them.

I've never given a fish so much individual attention before and had such frustrating results. I guess that's why these types of fish are left for the most dedicated of hobbyists.

 

[rayjay]

Yes, treat as per instructions on package.
You could check out the sponsors on AP as I remember some of them selling pods in the GTA. Right now, anything to get it started eating again.
Usually you have to train them to eat frozen foods as they are wild caught.
Even experienced hobbyists can have problems keeping them, same as seahorses.

 

[MarinEcology]

Treatment is underway. Hopefully I'll see some results in a couple days.
He is trained on frozen and was at one point eating with vigour and in better shape than when I bought him.
It's just over the past couple weeks that his health has been on the decline.

It's cool to see a fellow Ontarion on here by the way. I'll try and pick up a treat in Kitchener sometime soon.
I don't know if you've been there lately but it's the best place for saltwater that I've ever been to.

Thanks for the help!

 

[TamiW]

Did you quarantine and deworm when you got him? Worms would be my leading suspicion for the reason he's not putting on any weight.

 

[rayjay]

Haven't been to Aquarium Services (Big Al's) in Kitchener since Tuesday on my way back from Toronto.
It's not really any big deal compared to the stores in the GTA.
The one I go to most is Sea U Marine in Markham but there are a pile of good stores all around TO. Most are sponsors on Aquarium Pros dot ca.
It takes the dense population of the GTA for a store to be able to afford to bring in large shipments of top quality fish and corals.

 

[MarinEcology]

Huh, I grew up in middle of nowhere Bruce County so Big Als is like nothing I've seen.
Can't imagine how amazing the ones in Toronto must be!

I did not quarantine. After years of only having freshwater I've always thought it to be a bit unnecessary, but after having a couple saltwater fish wither away for no apparent reason I might have to change my stance on that.

What sort of regime do you go through and what kills worms?
If anti-parasite medication gets them then I have done informal treatments by soaking their food in it every now and again.

 

[rayjay]

Yes, I quarantine all my saltwater friends before putting them in display tanks.
Not everyone does though. It's my guess the majority don't.
As for the deworming protocol, it's a 3 drug, 9 week program as one med doesn't cover all the worm possibilities.
FENBENDAZOLE (granules) Dosage and Preparation Instructions for Deworming
Active Ingredient: Fenbendazole
Indication: worms and other internal parasites
Brand Names: Panacur, Safe-Guard
One day each week, feed two meals of adult brine shrimp gut-loaded with Fenbendazole to the Seahorse.
Repeat for a total of 3 weeks.
"¢ Purchase Fenbendazole granules available as 1gm packets.
"¢ Thoroughly mix a single 1gm packet (~1/4tsp) into one gallon (~4 liters) of water. Please note that the
granules will not completely dissolve.
"¢ This mixture will produce 222mg of Fenbendazole per gallon of water.
"¢ Place the amount of adult brine shrimp needed for one feeding into the mixture. Leave them in the
mixture for at least 2hrs.
"¢ Remove the adult brine shrimp from the mixture and add them to the quarantine tank.
"¢ Observe the Seahorse to be certain it is eating the adult brine shrimp.
OR
FENBENDAZOLE (liquid) Dosage and Preparation Instructions for Deworming
Active Ingredient: 10% Fenbendazole
Indication: worms and other internal parasites
Brand Names: Panacur, Safe-Guard
One day each week, feed two meals of adult brine shrimp gut-loaded with Fenbendazole to the Seahorse.
Repeat for a total of 3 weeks.
"¢ Add ~250mg (2ml or ~1/2 tsp) of the Fenbendazole mixture to one gallon (~4 liters) of water and mix
thoroughly.
"¢ Place the amount of adult brine shrimp needed for one feeding into the mixture. Leave them in the
mixture for at least 2hrs.
"¢ Remove the adult brine shrimp from the mixture and add them to the quarantine tank.
"¢ Observe the Seahorse to be certain it is eating the adult brine shrimp.
PLUS
METRONIDAZOLE Dosage and Preparation Instructions for Deworming
Active Ingredient: Metronidazole
Indication: flagellates and other internal parasites
Brand Names: Metro+, Metro-Pro, Metronidazole, Metro-MS, Flagyl. Flagyl is available by prescription
from your local veterinarian.
One day each week, feed two meals of adult brine shrimp gut-loaded with Metronidazole to the Seahorse.
Repeat for a total of 3 weeks.
"¢ If using tablets, crush one tablet into a fine powder. If using powder, dose 1/4tsp.
"¢ Add the Metronidazole to one gallon (~4 liters) of water and mix thoroughly.
"¢ Place the amount of adult brine shrimp needed for one feeding into the mixture. Leave them in the
mixture for at least 2hrs.
"¢ Remove the adult brine shrimp from the mixture and add them to the quarantine tank.
"¢ Observe the Seahorse to be certain it is eating the adult brine shrimp.
PLUS
PRAZIQUANTEL Dosage and Preparation Instructions for Deworming
Active Ingredient: Praziquantel
Indication: worms and other internal parasites
Brand Names: PraziPro, Praz-Tastic, Praziquantel
One day each week, feed two meals of adult brine shrimp gut-loaded with Praziquantel to the Seahorse.
Repeat for a total of 3 weeks.
"¢ Add 10ml (~2tsp) of Praziquantel to one gallon (~4 liters) of water and mix thoroughly.
"¢ Place the amount of adult brine shrimp needed for one feeding into the mixture. Leave them in the
mixture for at least 2hrs.
"¢ Remove the adult brine shrimp from the mixture and add them to the quarantine tank.
"¢ Observe the Seahorse to be certain it is eating the adult brine shrimp.

However, I can't honestly say that it is needed for your pipe fish as most pipe fish are put in reef tank situations, not with seahorses.
At this time, you have to take care of the bacteria problem first, if it is indeed still feeding at this time.